Not every tutor is in the test prep business per se, but—since testing is fundamental to learning—we’re all at least slightly oriented towards assessments. Some tests, however, are bigger than the lessons they teach. Just as the Super Bowl accrues mythic status as the highest level of competition of what is essentially a schoolyard ball game, certain standardized tests assume an outsized importance beyond the content and skills they assess.
When a test matters THAT much, students need to master the test as assiduously as they do its subject matter.
Standardized tests present a particular challenge to people who live unstandardized lives, which means pretty much everyone. Few environments naturally mirror simulated testing conditions, and few learners can bear to adhere to the simultaneous speeded rates of work and extended periods of effort demanded by most entrance exams.
No wonder so many of our students cut corners, taking tests piecemeal between other engagements or in marathon sessions during the wee hours of dawn.
No wonder others test with headphones on, music playing, or buoyed by a steady stream of caffeine and sugar.
No wonder so many test takers who prepared diligently for their test seem so unprepared for test day conditions!
One of my foundational Tenets of Test Prep is that if you aren’t taking practice tests, you aren’t really doing test prep. But implicit in that axiom is a commitment to the right kind of practice. At every step of the prep process, we as educators should explain and elevate practice integrity as as essential element of success when it counts?
Mike McGibbon has some persuasive thoughts about practice integrity for test takers. I have something a little different, a Practice Integrity Checklist. Ask these questions after every practice test your students take, and they’ll begin to understand the importance of practice integrity for repeatable results:
PRACTICE INTEGRITY CHECKLIST
Did you take a timed practice test and adhere to the timing?
Did you take your test all in one sitting at a time of day approximating that of the official test?
Did you take advantage of proctored testing or simulate official testing conditions to the best of your ability?
Did you use an official test during practice testing?
Did you experience interruptions or adversity during practice testing that compromised the benefits of practice?
Did you get a reasonable night’s sleep before the test? (If your answer is no, your other answers may not matter.)
Did you pack everything you needed for your test?
If you needed a calculator or digital device for your test, did you bring that device charged and in excellent working order?
If you needed a calculator or digital device for your test, did you bring the same device that you practiced with?
Did you eat the right foods before your test and pack the right foods for during your test to ensure proper energy and focus?
Did you arrive at your testing location, if applicable, early enough to register in a relaxed fashion?
While waiting for your test to begin, did you engage in predetermined activities to establish the right levels of calm, confidence, and focus?
During the test, did you apply all the strategies you learned or were taught (two different things)?
During the test, did you manage time as predetermined and practiced?
During the test, did you manage breaks as predetermined and practiced?
During the test, did you block out distractions and maintain focus at all times?
During the test, did you advocate for yourself as needed in the case of unforeseen circumstances, unexpected interruptions, or proctor error?
Did you encounter anything on the test itself that you did not or could not have prepared for?
Were you distracted or distraught over anything that happened before the test, e.g. breakup, extracurricular activity, or family crisis?
Did you maintain the necessary focus, energy, and confidence necessary to achieve your goals?
Perfect practice makes perfect, and standardized exams are eminently practicable. Support your students in bringing the highest levels of practice integrity to their efforts, and they’ll reward you with outstanding results just as they practiced.
(Feel free to recommend more questions for the list!)
Tips, Tools, And Thoughts
The Mundanity of Excellence: An Ethnographic Report on Stratification and Olympic Swimmer
Excellence is produced when differences of kind are treated as differences in degree.
What math can teach us about how to live
Asymptotes and spirals that make sense.
Managing Seasonal Demand: Fulfillment Strategies Peak Success!
How effective are you at forecasting and fulfilling demand?
We are all judged on the words we use, especially when we take high-stakes exams that use vocabulary mastery as a leading indicator of reading acumen. The free Roots2Words Word of the Day is just the beginning of learning to unlock the English language word by word and root by root. Encourage the test takers, language learners, and word lovers in your life to subscribe today. Then do the same yourself!